A great working relationship starts with transparency. Here’s how we operate:

Working with Us

Why is branding important?

All existing organizations have a brand, regardless of how much time and effort have gone into developing it. Often, people mistake the act of branding for designing a logo and related items (business cards, letterhead, etc.) when, in fact, it extends far beyond those visual products. From the name of your products to the way an employee might answer the phone, your brand is defined by how you communicate. We love a beautiful logo as much as any graphic design firm, however, we make it a goal to see beyond that single symbol into the culture of your organization. This helps define a clear and consistent voice to help build your brand’s following and reputation.

What’s this going to cost?

Once we’ve had an opportunity to discuss the scope, goals, and timeline for your project, we deliver a cost estimate through a written proposal. In this proposal, we define all included deliverables and a timeline for design and production.

Our brand identity projects generally start around $4,000, basic business websites start around $10,000 and e-commerce websites start around $15,000. All of these range upwards depending on the unique needs of any given business or organization.

As you might imagine, the level of complexity from one project to the next varies significantly, so it’s impossible to provide a cost estimate without first understanding the problem you need help solving. We stand firmly behind the principle that that design without purpose is simply decoration.

My brand needs improvement, but I’m not quite sure what to invest in. Can you help me figure out my project scope?

Absolutely! In order to maximize the effectiveness of any significant project you pursue with Status Forward, we strongly encourage engaging us in a Discovery Phase.

During a discovery phase, we delve deep into your brand and marketing (including your website) to get a sense of what’s going right, and how you can improve. This process is highly collaborative and intended to spark ideas through conversations with your team. At the end of the discovery phase, we deliver a report that captures our collective findings and possible paths forward.

Have you done work in my company’s specific industry?

We have experience collaborating with diverse clients in industries ranging from technology and healthcare to education and retail. We believe our approach to research, brand strategy and creative marketing is effective across most markets. For each new client, we work to understand the company mission, core purposes, target audiences, and other features that go into nurturing an effective, communicative brand.

What types of clients do you work with?

We’ve worked with clients in many industries, including outdoor recreation, restaurants, retail and education. We always welcome new challenges, and enjoy learning about what makes your brand unique. Some clients come to us with problems concerning an existing brand or website. Others come to us as start-ups, needing to build a new brand from the ground-up. A variety of clients and projects keeps us fresh, engaged and innovative. We love getting to know new people and their businesses.

Who don’t you work with?

If you’re interested in “buying” a logo or a website like you would a cake at a bakery, then we probably aren’t a good fit. Our creative process is driven by inquiry and the desire to help solve our clients’ problems. This requires a willingness to communicate and to dive deeper into your brand than simply fonts and colors. In the immortal words of Jerry McGuire, “Help me (us), help you!”

Does Status Forward write content?

Yes. As we determine the scope of your project, we’ll work with you to determine who will be providing written content and when it will be completed by. Learn more about our content strategy services here.

Who is responsible for photography or videography?

Depending on the project and what you have available from previous shoots, we might recommend bringing in a photographer and/or videographer. While we have a great pool of talent to call upon, we are happy to collaborate with your chosen media professional or company.

Can you fix my current website?

Maybe. This largely depends how well your current site is built. Often, it is more effective to start from scratch, especially if your site was built using old coding techniques and hasn’t been upgraded over time. We would never advise patching up a site that’s liable to become burden to maintain. We always take a thorough look at your current site as part of our initial Discovery Phase.

How will I manage my website’s content?

Nearly all of our custom websites are built using WordPress, and with good reason. A content management system, such as WordPress, provides a graphical user interface allowing you to create new pages, change or add photos, videos, links, and more, throughout your entire website without requiring you to know anything about coding.

Before or shortly after launching your website, we provide training on how to use it. We’ll customize the backend of your website for easy content input that you and your staff are able to manage with minimal difficulty, in-house. Our goal is to build your site so that the only updates you need us for are more substantial design and functionality changes. That said, we are available for hourly work should you find yourself simply lacking the time to keep you site fresh and engaging.

Does Status Forward provide web hosting?

Status Forward provides hosting, maintenance, and support services for websites we build. We do this through partnerships with reliable, proven web hosts, as we’d never attempt to manage servers ourselves. This type of relationship allows us to provide premium website hosting to you at a discount compared to what you’d pay for the same quality of hosting on your own.

We will communicate with the actual web host on your behalf in the event of any server-side issue. We speak their language, so you can rely on us to deal with any problems that arise rather than dealing with tech support on your own. We also offer maintenance and support if you choose to sign up for hosting on your own, as long as we approve the host. After having dealt with numerous hosting companies over the course of many years, we’ve become quite adept at separating the good from the bad. Read more about our long term support services here.

I don’t live anywhere near Asheville or Durham, but I like your work. Do you work remotely?

You bet. While local clients hold a special place in our hearts, we also work with people who are located as far away as California, Washington D.C., New York, and Colorado.

When can you start, and how long will it take?

Timeframe depends on the scope of the project, availability of assets, and communication back and forth. Once you’ve hired us, we schedule a start date for your project. From there, we do our best to meet or beat the timeline indicated in our proposal and tend to do so barring slow feedback cycles. Our goal is to complete your project in as timely a manner as possible without sacrificing quality of work.